


Saving Chloe

by Durless



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Sacrifice Arcadia Bay Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-28 12:43:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13904280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Durless/pseuds/Durless
Summary: Max chose to save Chloe and she doesn't regret it, but can she cope with the guilt of sacrificing everything else?





	Saving Chloe

Max finds herself falling. Her hands jolt out searching for something to grab onto. When she can’t find anything, she shuts her eyes and braces herself. The ground doesn’t hit her hard. It doesn’t hit her at all. Instead, she feels a sudden floor beneath her feet and the squeamish feeling in her gut of falling ceases. 

She opens her eyes cautiously and finds herself in the middle of Arcadia Bay. The sky is a dangerous gray and the window howls and tugs violently at her hair. Thunder booms. The scene is familiar, mimicking a few days ago in the timeline. It was the day Chloe had been shot and Max had been saved by David before fleeing in the car, desperate to find Warren. 

Max holds her arms up, shielding herself. Buildings on fire rage around her.

_Shit... what, am I doing here?_

Every step feels like it takes more energy than she has in her. But she has to get to the Two Whales Diner, she realizes.

Everything appears to be the same, but there are no people scrambling around, taking cover from the storm or shouting desperately at her for help. As she passes the spot where Evan had been trying to take his “killer photo” of the wreckage, he lays there already dead. His eyes are shut and both hands are still wrapped around his precious camera.

_Evan, no…_

The next person she passes is Alyssa face up lying in her own blood at the base of the building Max had seen her stuck up in. Her eyes are open and a look of shock is permanently etched on her face. 

_I couldn’t save them… Either one of them. They were both dead before I arrived…_ Max covers her mouth with her hands. 

Victoria and Nathan lay draped over one another. Max notices two empty syringes near their feet and winces. She sees her other friends that she had the opportunity to help in the past - all dead. She sees a lot of other residents of the town who she had never had the opportunity to meet before. That does little to settle the turning of her stomach. 

They’re all dead, killed by the storm. she feels a lump form in her throat. You did this… She forces herself to tear her eyes off of all of the dead bodies and continue to the Diner. Though when she passes the dead whales and comes to the Diner, her stomach drops even more. 

The building is in ruins, either burned down by the explosion or hit by the tornado or both. It is a pile of rubble. The remaining bits of walls are charred. There is still a few tables and a stove. Everything else is gone. 

Max stumbles into what’s left of the diner, tripping several times over bits of cinder. Her heart drops. 

Chloe is propped against the wall, her head limp to one side, and a trickle of blood running down her chin. Her beanie is missing and blue hair is damp and tangled. Her jacket is torn in several places and Joyce lies in her work uniform and her apron torn, at her feet. 

Max can feel her heart beat faster as she quickens her pace towards her best friend. “Chloe…” she begins, reaching out and touching the wet fabric of her jacket. 

And Chloe blinks in response, picking up her head. Max’s spirits lift slightly as she is the only body who has shown any sign of life. It is possible that she is the only one in Arcadia Bay who is not dead. Somehow, the thought does not bother her as much as it should.

Chloe’s expression is unchanging as she moves her mouth and speaks, “Max… Why didn’t you come earlier? You couldn’t save me. You couldn’t save anyone. Max… Max…” 

“Max?” 

Max awakens, panting and eyes wide open. Her heart races as she struggled to ground herself to reality. 

Chloe is sitting on her bed with a concerned expression. “Max? Are you okay? You were talking in your sleep and shit. It must have been a really messed up dream…” 

She sits up. Her back is stiff and her neck is sore. She rubs the back of her neck, though it doesn’t help much. She’s still recovering from her awful dream.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” It takes a few more seconds for her to remember they’re in a safe home, one of the few buildings in the bay that isn’t completely destroyed.

“So much for sneaking out last night,” Chloe teases, though her voice is laced with concern. “You were out almost immediately.”

“Sorry, I was exhausted.” 

“I know. You’ve had a hella rough week.” 

Max smiles weakly as she looks at her best friend. The dream version of Chloe, close to dead, flashes in her mind, but she quickly shakes it away.

“Hurry up and get dressed,” Chloe says. “Last ones up get the stale oatmeal.”


End file.
